Effective strategy against terrorism – stop the manufacture of arms

People are making money out of selling arms to terrorists. Sure it’s companies. But, here’s a reality check. If you have shares in Dassault Aviation, Sukhoi, Mikoyan, EADS, Finmeccanica, Thales Group, Lockheed Martin, Boeing or BAE Systems then you are making money out of terrorism.

Or what about an investment in companies that appear harmless? General Electric, Rolls-Royce, Mitsubishi, Saab, Hewlett-Packard and the list goes on. Shocker isn’t it. And if you have investments in such ‘harmless’ investments such as Unit Trusts you will find that the bundle of companies they invest in will surely have some of the above in their portfolios.

While government leaders shake their heads at Algeria and the terrorism attack at a BP natural gas plant the main point that is seemingly always missed is who supplied the terrorists with arms. It isn’t really about a gas plant that needs better protection or an Algerian army overzealously riding in guns blazing.

No the real question surely should be how did the Masked Brigade, who claim responsibility, get the funding and arms to launch such an attack and kill 80 or so people. Or so the media have us believe. Could of course be more or even less one hopes.

It’s the same weird logic that keeps the Americans in guns. There would not be the same killings in schools or movie theatres by gun madmen, however unhinged they might be, if they could not get hold of guns. Throwing knives isn’t really an alternative option.

Don’t allow the selling of guns to anybody in America and you would have a considerable fall off of random shootings in public spaces.

Same principle applies to terrorist groups. Do not sell guns to anybody. And you would have a fall off of terrorism.

For instance Germany, upstanding citizens and all of that, have one of the largest armament industries in the world and in fact are the third largest arms exporters in the world. In 2011 exports topped €10Billion, of which 42% went to third-party states outside NATO. In particular Saudi Arabia is a faithful customer. And one asks how many of these arms could end up in Islamist terrorist groups?

So before anybody else blames Algeria for this disaster, ask yourself the question:- who is giving terrorists the arms and ammunition to wage these wars. Who is making the money.